Haydn 2032 Vol.15: La Reine
£14.49 £13.25
save £1.24 (9%)
special offer ending 30/05/2024
Usually available for despatch within 3-5 working days
Despatch Information
This despatch estimate is based on information from both our own stock and the UK supplier's stock.
If ordering multiple items, we will aim to send everything together so the longest despatch estimate will apply to the complete order.
If you would rather receive certain items more quickly, please place them on a separate order.
If any unexpected delays occur, we will keep you informed of progress via email and not allow other items on the order to be held up.
If you would prefer to receive everything together regardless of any delay, please let us know via email.
Pre-orders will be despatched as close as possible to the release date.
Label: Alpha
Cat No: ALPHA696
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Orchestral
Release Date: 26th April 2024
Contents
Works
Symphony no.50 in C major, Hob.I:50 'In nomine Domini'Symphony no.62 in D major, Hob.I:62
Symphony no.85 in B flat major, Hob.I:85 'La Reine'
Artists
Kammerorchester BaselConductor
Giovanni AntoniniWorks
Symphony no.50 in C major, Hob.I:50 'In nomine Domini'Symphony no.62 in D major, Hob.I:62
Symphony no.85 in B flat major, Hob.I:85 'La Reine'
Artists
Kammerorchester BaselConductor
Giovanni AntoniniAbout
The fifteenth volume of the Haydn2032 cycle is entitled ‘La Reine’. One might think that this nickname refers to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, queen of numerous territories, but in fact the monarch honoured by the popular title of Symphony no.85 is her daughter, Marie Antoinette. It was said to be the favourite of ‘La Reine de France’, which is the full nickname of the work. The new volume also includes Symphony no.50, which delighted the Empress’s ears when she visited Prince Nicolaus Esterházy at his ‘Hungarian Versailles’ in 1773. Symphony no.62, which dates from 1780, the fortieth anniversary of Maria Theresa’s accession to the throne and also the last year of a life as eventful as it was glorious, rounds off this latest instalment of the complete recording of the symphonies conducted by Giovanni Antonini, here at the helm of the Basel Chamber Orchestra.
Sound/Video
Paused
-
1Symphony No.85 in B flat, ‘La Reine’: 1. Adagio – Vivace
-
2Symphony No.85 in B flat, ‘La Reine’: 2. Romance. Allegretto
-
3Symphony No.85 in B flat, ‘La Reine’: 3. Menuet. Allegretto – Trio
-
4Symphony No.85 in B flat, ‘La Reine’: 4. Finale. Presto
-
5Symphony No.62 in D: 1. Allegro
-
6Symphony No.62 in D: 2. Allegretto
-
7Symphony No.62 in D: 3. Menuet. Allegretto – Trio
-
8Symphony No.62 in D: 4. Finale. Allegro
-
9Symphony No.50 in C: 1. Adagio e maestoso – Allegro di molto
-
10Symphony No.50 in C: 2. Andante moderato
-
11Symphony No.50 in C: 3. Menuet – Trio
Europadisc Review
Having started its journey with the ‘middle period’ Sturm und Drang works, Giovanni Antonini’s ambitious non-chronological project to record all 107 of Haydn’s symphonies in time for the composer’s tercentenary in 2032 is now taking in more of the later works where – for many listeners – the chief glories lie. As ever, however, Antonini brings together works from different periods, more or less linked by a common thread. Here – not for the first time in the series – there’s a regal link. The ‘title’ work is Symphony no.85 in B flat major (1785/86), the fourth of the six ‘Paris’ Symphonies which Haydn composed to a commission from Paris’s Masonic Loge Olympique, and which was said to be a particular favourite of Louis XVI’s consort, Marie Antoinette.
Dating from some five years earlier, Symphony no.62 in D major has been linked with a celebration of the name day of Marie Antoinette’s mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, at the new theatre in the grounds of Eszterháza Palace. The final work on the disc is the Symphony no.50 in C major, which has its origins in 1772/73 in a work for Eszterháza’s newly built marionette theatre and a visit by Maria Theresa herself. A few years later Haydn expanded the two-movement overture to the theatrical prelude Der Götterrath into the present four-movement symphony. As with many other works in the Haydn2032 series, it’s a reminder of Haydn’s deep involvement with theatrical performances during his years at Eszterháza.
Now at volume 15, this latest release in Antonini’s cycle finds him at the helm of the excellent period-instrument forces of Kammerorchester Basel (who are sharing the overall load with Antonini’s own Il Giardino Armonico). The recording was made in October 2021 in Basel’s Musik- und Kulturzentrum Don Bosco, which has a well-focused sound with plenty of fine definition but also abundant warmth. The way the final D major of no.62’s outer movements continue to resound after the orchestra has stopped is appropriately majestic.
Best-known of the three works, of course, is ‘La Reine’ itself. Instead of attempting to emulate the size of the Parisian orchestra for which it was written, Antonini has a string force of 6.5.4.3.2. There’s no lack of force where needed – in the minor-key interjections of the first movement, for instance – but the benefits of hearing the wind instruments so clearly are many. The staccato dotted figuration of the Symphony’s slow introduction is nicely clipped, and the transition to the Vivace creeps in subtly, while the strings’ upward scales in the tutti passages have plenty of energetic direction to them, and the solo oboe theme has a wonderfully sour plangency. The second movement Romance is taken as a true Allegretto, with the susurrations of the flute variation a special delight.
There’s a hint of hastiness in the Menuet which adds to the sense of excitement (rather this than too staid), and the clatter of keys in the Trio passages for solo bassoon and violins provides another instance of atmospheric detail. The Presto finale is a joy, tripping along, brilliantly shaped, with pauses neither undersold nor overmilked. Antonini brings out all the theatrical flair of Haydn’s genius.
Symphony no.62 is remarkable on two counts in particular: the dreamy Allegretto slow movement has the movement of a barcarolle, but studiously avoids a fully-developed theme to go with the semi-developed accompaniments. The Finale, meanwhile, seems to start in media res before the first tutti bursts into life. It’s a vivid illustration of just how innovative Haydn’s rural isolation led him to be. Although cast in D major, this work has no trumpets or drums, just horns and woodwind plus strings, its majesty coupled with a wonderfully carefree demeanour. The still earlier no.50 has real theatrical panache, and Antonini includes the trumpet parts that were a late addition to the score. There’s a splendidly majestic slow introduction before the Allegro di molto gets underway. A relaxed Andante moderato slow movement gives way to a punchy Menuet. The Finale is particularly engaging: the way in which the long successions of quaver sequences are shaped into meaningful phrases is an object lesson in how to play this music stylishly without feeling micro-managed.
The booklet is enlivened (as is customary in this series) with photos from the Magnum agency, in this case by Carl de Keyzer and with a generally regal theme. Well up to the standards of the series as a whole, this is another tremendously enjoyable addition to this landmark series.
Error on this page? Let us know here
Need more information on this product? Click here